Fire Emblem Awakening - Devils of the Past
by Shadowplayer360
Summary: A few years have past since Grima's defeat and it seems that the land has returned to peace once again. However, the young tactician has been having strange dreams as of late, and a mysterious group of figures have appeared to wreak havoc upon the land. Among them lie some familiar faces...
1. Chapter 1

**_So I've decided to make a Fire Emblem Awakening fanfic. I thought about starting with a AvatarXCordelia story, but I decided that I just had to post this story and see what kind of comments I get out of it._**

**_It's another Post-Grima story, but I'm kinda excited about doing this, so please post reviews if you can. I'd really like some feedback._**

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**Devils of the Past**

_The sky was clad in a scarlet red. Screams filled the air as hordes of the zombie-like creatures called Risen started marching through an open field. As the villagers ran as fast as they could, several Risen would suddenly dash out and attack stray targets while the rest would continue the long march_

_Seven cloaked figures gazed at the scene from a distance. One of them cackled while the others looked on with an indifferent attitude._

"_The time has finally come. We'll bring forth the destruction of the land, and with it, a new era that will last forever."_

_Six of the figures turned and left the scene. The remaining figure stood chuckling to himself._

"_Chrom…"_

_As the last figure turned, the shadow of a large dragon appeared, releasing a bloodcurdling cry that could sent chills up your spine…_

Robin quickly opened his eyes in surprise. He looked around wildly for any sign of danger before he remembered that he was in his room.

"A dream…right…" He covered his face with his hand and closed his eyes while taking deep breaths. "I must have dozed off…" As the Shepard's tactician, he needed to keep a calm mind and have a clear understanding of everything around them. The door suddenly creaked open, jolting him awake as he kept his eyes on the door.

"Are you alright?" Chrom, the Ylissean King, had poked his head into the entrance, looking around. Robin brushed off the dust from his arms, and stood up straight.

"Yeah, I just… had a strange dream…"

Chrom laughed heartily as he went up to his friend. "I suppose it was about Gaius and his eating habits again?"

There was a brief moment before Robin answered.

"Yeah," he lied while keeping a straight face. "He started to roll around with an enormous belly, and I thought he was going to crush me this time…"

"Well it's true that all those sweets aren't exactly good for his health, but I'm pretty sure that the work he does will help him stay thin, so no need to worry."

"I guess you're right…" He smiled and started to straighten out his room a bit. "So what was it that you wanted from me?"

The blue-haired king laughed as he leaned against a nearby bookshelf. "What? I can't just come by and say hello to a close friend?"

"Then it has nothing to do with Raimi's message?" he asked, referring to the Feroxi knight they fought with in the past at Fort Regina.

Chrom smiled sheepishly. "I guess you've got me. It's just that we've received reports that a mysterious group has been attacking across the land."

Robin continued to move around as he thought this was something for Frederick or Sully to deal with.

"Surely that's no surprise? There have been quite a number of attacks reported in the last month alone…"

Chrom turned to his friend and frowned slightly as he struggled to say something.

"It's just that…well….there have been rumors that Gangrel and Walhart have both been seen in the middle of these attacks."

Robin froze. He took a deep breath before turning around and giving a false chuckle.

"C'mon Chrom, even as a joke that's taking things a bit too far…" However, the look on the young king's face told him otherwise. He scratched his hair as he pretended to take an interest in the floor. "Guess it's not a joke…" Chrom's voice was deep and solumn as he continued.

"Reports have stated that a man wearing a crown and cackling has been seen leading alongside a giant clad in blood-red armor. It may just be imposters, but…" he paused before continuing. "Anyways, I want you to make the call on what we should do about these sightings…"

Robin studied Chrom's face for a bit. His mouth trembled slightly, which may have been from the memory of his sister's tragedy as well as the death of thousands of his subjects. His eyes signaled that there was little doubt to these rumors, despite his talk earlier. Robin started to think before placing a hand on the nearby table and sighing.

"It's better to be safe than sorry I guess. I'll gather a few troops and lead them to…"

"Regna Ferox. That's where the most recent reports came from." Chrom turned to leave.

"You, my friend, are staying here." Robin stated clearly as he pointed to the ground. The young king turned back with a surprised look on his face.

"I'm sorry Robin, but I'm the king of Ylisse, I can't exactly stay in my tactician's room forever." He joked. Robin glared at his friend until he stood silent.

"I'm not asking this time Chrom. I understand that you want to join us all in battle as equals, and I truly respect that about you. But if this really is Gangrel and Walhart we're talking about, it may be too risky for you to join this time."

"But…"

"We don't know if these sightings are just simple lies, meant to catch us all off-guard. Or if they're some kind of rally to form a rebellion." He thought back to his dream and the waves of Risen that marched across the land. "And if this happens to be real…"

"Then it's all the more reason for me to come and join in on the scouting party!" The blue-haired man was starting to yell now. "I need to see for myself whether they've returned themselves! I owe it to my people and my sister! Emmeryn needs to be at peace! Families need to be avenged!"

"And what if you died?! How would your sister feel if you were to just keel over and leave Lissa alone?!" Robin argued. "And Sumia? Lucina and Cynthia? How would they react if you were to just die in the middle of a battle?! How are we supposed to tell them about how you left them alone for a chance at vengeance?!"

There was a deep silence as the atmosphere became tense. The two stared at each other before Robin sighed and covered his eyes in exhaustion. Chrom slowly turned his head away and blankly stared at a pile of books that were set nearby. After a moment of silence, the tactician spoke up.

"Look, what happened to Emmeryn was a terrible ordeal for everyone, and what happened with Walhart was just as bad, maybe even worse. But we can't be rash. Even after Grima's defeat, there have been many attempts on your life. I don't want you to just rush in carelessly and make everyone sad. Especially your daughter…" He crossed his arms as he continued. "Lucina had already lost you once, do you really want to leave her alone again?"

Chrom was about to speak when Robin stopped him. "You said it yourself, you're the king of Ylissese, you need to make sure you're there for your people and your family…" He motioned his head over to the young girl who was trying to hide behind the door. They both turned to see the young Lucina peeking at them. Chrom went over to his daughter and held her up while smiling. Robin started to leave and placed a hand on the young king's shoulder as he passed.

"Don't worry. I'll try to keep casualties to a bare minimum, even if it means making a hasty retreat…"

As the tactician left the room, Chrom tightened his hand, unintentionally hurting Lucina who cringed from the pain until he noticed her face and apologized. He left the room to take his eldest daughter to join her mother and sister, but as he walked through the halls, one word rang in his mind.

"Damnit…"

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_**I don't really have any plans on pairing the Avatar/Robin with anyone else in this story. If there's a pairing you'd like to see, let me know, and I'll consider making a seperate fanfic out of it, or using it in this fanfic. We can talk about this if the time comes.**_

_**Please feel free to review however you want. Whether about how this sucks or how good it looks, I'll take it. Anything can be helpful in making this better.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Well here's part 2 of my FE fanfic. Thought some things could be done better, but I'll leave it to you guys to let me know. Also, in case you guys need to know, the Avatar in this story is the default male setting with black hair_**

**_infiniteragequit - Thanks. Right now, because of the lack of reviews, I'm not sure if I really will get pairings done. But just in case, I've already figured out a start to the AvatarXTiki pairing, so I might make another fanfiction story for this pairing._**

**_Anyways, enough talk, time for the next chapter..._**

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_An enormous wasteland stretched out as far as the eye could see. Bodies lay spread out and blood covered the ground. Everywhere he went there was nothing but the stench of death and the sight of corpses, nothing alive for miles around…_

_And yet, he could hear moaning. It was faint and low, but he definitely heard moaning. He needed to find that person, that survivor that might be around, but no matter how far he walked, he never seemed to be getting closer to the sound. He suddenly tripped and fell face-flat on the ground before he noticed the sounds getting louder. He tried to stand up, but the voices began to fade again. That's when he started to realize that the sound came from the bodies. Looking around, however, he only saw faces of terror, fear, and pain stuck on like a mask as he continued his search._

_Suddenly, he felt something cling to his ankle and turned to find one of the corpses moving around. He looked down and saw the face, still petrified with the same expression, looking back up at him. Just then, bodies all around began moving towards him, grabbing on with abnormal strength and slowing him down considerably. He struggled to get rid of his extra baggage, but his efforts were futile as he slowly sank into the growing pile of bodies._

_Despite all the moans and cries, he heard a voice call out to him._

"_R…..in…k…..p…."_

_He tried to calm himself as he listened intently for this new voice._

"_W…ke….p….Ro….n…..wake…p…"_

_The voice was starting to get clearer as he was suddenly enveloped in a bright light…._

"Robin, wake up!"

The tactician opened his eyes and turned to Stahl who was moving right next to him. He looked ahead and started to remember his whereabouts before scratching his head in embarrassment

"Sorry, must have dozed off…"

He was in the middle of the march towards Regna Ferox alongside Sully, Vaike, Stahl, and about four hundred troops. It's been several days since they began their trip, and the long travel must have exhausted him more than he anticipated. He started moving to the back and shook his head as he tried to wake himself up.

"Are you a'right Robin?" A voice suddenly asked. Robin quickly turned to find Vaike walking next to him.

"Vaike…" He was surprised to find that the absent-minded warrior was worried about his well-being, since the yellow-haired muscle-head seemed to have nothing but girls and power in his head. He faked a grin and acted like nothing was wrong to try and keep their morale up. "Y-Yeah, I'm just…a bit tired…" Robin hoped his excuse would pass, wondering why he had that strange dream earlier. "Anyways, I hope you've got your weapon this time…"

"What? You're doubting the teach? You're breakin my heart here!"

"Well then how about you show me your weapon right now?"

"C'mon Robin, you know I'm better than that! It's right…" he turned to reach for something on his waist, but paused as he started to look around.

"'Right'?." The tactician chuckled as he waited for the end of the sentence.

"It's…er…r-right at the convoy! I-I'll go get it right now!" Vaike rushed ahead with a panicked look on his face, leaving his friend alone with troubled thoughts. Stahl must have noticed Vaike's sudden movement as he fell back to keep the tactician company instead.

"Hey Robin, is something the matter?"

Robin noticed Stahl's presence as he tried to keep up. "W-Well, I'm just wondering how much farther we need to travel. Do you have any idea?"

Stahl seemed a bit concerned after what happened earlier, but didn't pry any further. "We're just about a half day's distance from Regna Ferox. Not too far from where the last attack was reported."

Robin nodded as he glanced around for any signs of an attack, but so far the area appeared to be clean and empty. Sensing no trouble, he started to think back to what Chrom said earlier…

"_Reports have stated that a man wearing a crown and cackling has been seen leading alongside a giant clad in blood-red armor. It may just be imposters, but…"_

It's true that imposters aren't exactly rare cases, especially regarding those whose names are well-known. But to think that someone would even try 'The Mad King' and 'The Conqueror', not even he would've have guessed someone to be that daring. Even though they all fought on different sides, he personally respected them for following their own beliefs. And yet, even though it seemed impossible, something told him that Gangrel and Walhart really did return somehow. There wasn't any proof, and he couldn't really explain, but somehow, he just knew that these two had returned, the only question is why. Why now?

Suddenly, there was an arrow mere inches away from his feet. Quickly scanning the area, he spotted an archer partially hidden in the forest nearby.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Robin cried out as he grabbed his "Silver Sword" from his belt. Several troops already ran ahead into the forest while the others stayed behind. Stahl, Vaike, and Sully all kept the rest of their troops close together according to Robin's instructions. A few minutes passed before a group of bandits suddenly appeared surrounding them. However, their faces had revealed that they were clearly unprepared for a large number of soldiers to remain behind. Robin grinned as his predicted sneak attack came true, and started shouting out orders for their counterattack. Stahl and Sully kept the bandits trapped in the area by using their horses and troops to form a sort of "wall" around them. Vaike in the meantime was leading a band of warriors and soldiers to perform a heavy assault at their lesser skilled opponents.

Confident that his friends had a grip on the situation, Robin started to scan the area for the leader of this group. He spotted something several miles away and got on a horse to chase it down. Two figures, a large one and a small one, were coming into view while running away as fast as they could from the battle. After getting close enough, Robin jumped off and tumbled a bit to cushion the impact before getting on his feet and confronting the two.

"Who are you?"

The smaller figure started to speak. "W-We are Gangrel and Walhart! T-The fiends of Plegia, Ylisse, a-and every other kingdo…."

"I said, who are you?" Robin repeated while eyeing them suspiciously. "You're neither 'The Mad King' nor 'The Conqueror'..."

The smaller figure, who appeared to be posing as Gangrel, was wearing identical clothing to the original, but his face was too sunken, his eyes were showing too much fear, and his weapon was a simple dagger. Likewise the larger figure wore a heavy armor that was bright red, but his face was too swollen, there weren't any signs of Walhart's trademark horns, and the weapon was a common woodcutter's axe. Robin watched in disgust as he pointed his sword at 'Gangrel'. 'Walhart' started to cringe before taking off as fast as he could, stumbling along the way. Robin ignored him, knowing that the imposter would end up returning to the battlefield, and turned his attention back to 'Gangrel', who gasped and quickly dropped his weapon on the ground.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I told you, I-I am…"

Robin pressed the edge of the blade to the imposter's neck, leaving a small cut that made him scream as blood slowly trickled from the wound.

"Last chance, who…are…you?"

"Alright, alright!" The imposter screamed out as he closed his eyes. "My name is Rowan, and the man from earlier was Howard my brother. We're just a couple of bandits who are just trying to make a living like you folks…"

"Keep talking…"

"Work is getting hard recently since the war and all that trouble from before, what with that giant shadow from a few years ago. Fewer people are going out nowadays and spending little at the market, times are tough! We needed some way to get food like good honest people…"

Robin rolled his eyes as he pushed the blade in slightly deeper.

"Ok! Ok!" Rowan flailed as he tried to keep his head intact. "One day, we overheard some folks talking about the return of 'The Mad King' and 'The Conqueror'. We just thought it'd be funny, you know? Scaring a few people on the road and picking up any loose change that may happen to…er…fall from their pockets…"

"And exactly how long have you been doing this?"

"Just today! I swear! You were our only target, and it was just bad luck that we chose you to…er…prank!"

There was a small pause before Robin turned and started to walk away.

"Leave the area with your brother." He said as he sheathed his weapon. "Go find some more honest work like everyone else; you'll live longer that way…"

However, there was a small "cling" as he turned to find the imposter charging at him with a hidden dagger. The tactician turned and knocked away the hidden weapon with his own, but Rowan tackled the tactician and sent them tumbling in the fields before taking his sword. Robin grabbed his tome and started the incantation as Rowan stared to charge recklessly. Then, in an instant, lightning fell from the sky, striking the imposter and slightly frying the body as he fell forward.

However, Robin was confused since his tome was for a fire spell, so a lightning strike must have come from someone else. While looking around, he heard a familiar laugh.

"Nice try kiddies, but there's only room for one 'Mad King' in this world!"

Robin froze as he told himself it was impossible. He slowly turned to the voice and felt his face turn pale as he started to comprehend what he saw.

He wore a tattered cloak over his royal suit, and his pants and gloves were all slightly torn. Traces of blood were seen on his forehead and his clothing, and his eyes were pitch-black. But the ruffled hair and evil smirk was all he needed to see as living proof. The tactician stared in shock as the figure started to lean back with a wicked laughter that escaped from his mouth.

"Now then!" he cackled. "Let's have a round of applause for our favorite corpse, The TRUE Mad King, GANGREL!"


	3. Chapter 3

**_So here's the next chapter. May have rushed things a bit, but again, I'll leave it up to you readers whether you think something's wrong or not._**

**_(Before I start getting possible complaints or you think about whether I'm putting in effort, no I'm not being lazy, I'm just somewhat pessamistic about things)_**

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"Hey, does Robin seem a bit strange to you?" Stahl asked as they finished tying up the bandits. Vaike was literally trying to knock some sense into their prisoners while Sully was surveying the area. He was supposed to be checking on the troops, but nobody got more than a minor scratch, so there wasn't any need.

"Whaddya mean?" The red knight asked. "Hasn't he always been a bit strange? I mean who in their right mind would wanna read books about fighting when it's easier to learn firsthand?"

Vaike laughed as he joined in on the conversation. "True that! I never really liked reading those boring things anyways! Teach has always preferred a more 'hands-on' approach to things"

Stahl laughed nervously. "It's not that, I'm talking about how he seemed a bit dazed recently. Almost like he's been distracted about something…"

"Huh? Maybe he's just daydreaming about the past. The guy seems to be doing that kind of stuff a lot nowadays…"

"Actually, the Teach has noticed something about him too. He's been acting pretty funny lately, and I haven't really seen him crack a real smile that much."

"Seriously? If this idiot says he can see something's wrong, then it **must** be serious…"

"Maybe we should ask him when he gets back…."

Suddenly, they heard footsteps as something approached them. The three turned around and expected to see their tactician with the other prisoner(s), but instead saw a figure wearing scarlet-red armor. It threw something large at them that landed with an enormous "Thud". They looked over to see another person in red armor, but full of scratches and blood. They turned their heads back to the red figure, who was moving closer and holding up a blood-red axe above his head. Their faces went slightly pale as they realized who it was, and started to rally their troops to defend themselves. Sully sneered as she glared at the devil in front of them.

"Walhart, you dastard…"

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There was no mistaking it. The Ex-ruler of Plegia was standing before Robin with the Levin Sword at hand. The last time he saw this man, he was struck down by Chrom, who dealt the final blow in the name of his sister. But they checked for any signs of a heartbeat or a pulse and didn't find anything. Even if they made a mistake, he couldn't have survived from all the blood he lost from the wound. And yet, the dastard was standing right there as if nothing was wrong.

"Gangrel? I thought you were dead!" Robin yelled as he started to slowly reach for his blade.

"Hya Ha Ha! That's right, I was dead. In fact, I still am!"

Robin was confused. "No games Gangrel! What kind of sorcery is this?"

"'_No games Gangrel! What kind of sorcery is this?'_" The Mad King repeated mockingly while he continued to cackle wildly. "Enough of your useless banter! I want you to bring me Falchion!"

Falchion, one of the legendary treasures that only those of royal Ylissean blood can use. Rumored to have been made from the fang of the goddess Naga herself, it was an important item in defeating the Feldragon Grima a few years ago, and even now, it's considered one of the most powerful weapons in existence.

"Why do you want the legendary blade?" Robin asked, suspicious of Gangrel's demands. The first time they met, the Mad King wanted the Fire Emblem, nearly starting a war just to get it. However he didn't show any interest in Chrom's blade back then, so why the sudden interest now?

"The reason's irrelevant! Just bring me the damn sword!"

"I'll give you something…."

Robin retrieved his sword as Gangrel suddenly dashed forward at the tactician with incredible speed. Sparks flew as their weapons struck each other. The Mad King wildly slashed at him with swift movement but without any sort of pattern, almost as if he was a small hurricane. Robin was just barely able to avoid fatal strikes, but he still suffered minor cuts with each attack. He made a few of his own strikes every once in a while, but it didn't slow down his opponent even the slightest. As he continued to parry his opponent's moves, he noticed something different about his fighting style. Gangrel had originally used a more cautious approach, using his enchanted weapon to attack from a distance and only strike back when the distance between them was too small. However, his movements now seemed more wild and unreserved. Reckless, yet advantageous. Almost as if he wasn't worried about his opponent's next attack. Robin tried to make a horizontal slice, but the trickster had easily dodged with his natural speed.

"Hya Ha Ha Ha! What's wrong Robin? I thought you were faster than that!"

The tactician was breathing heavily now. Even though he was defending, he was using more energy than he originally planned to avoid a fatal strike. On the other hand, Gangrel wasn't showing any signs of exhaustion at all. Changing strategies, he leapt back and resheathed his blade while grabbing his tome and began chanting.

"_Afflige__inimícos tuos,__et__in__reliquias__comburite__fraxinus__" (Punish them of thine enemies, and into the remains, burn their ashes)_

Heat generated in Robin's hand as he gathered magical energy. He waved his arm, as if throwing something, and flames began to fly towards The Mad King, who ran through unscathed with the same speed as before. His cape was slightly scorched, but aside from that, he was unharmed. Robin shot several more magical attacks, but Gangrel didn't even flinch as he got closer and closer. Eventually, the two were just centimeters apart before Grangrel gave a thrusting kick into Robin's stomach. The tactician felt several of his ribs crack as he gasped for air, but The Mad King was right below him before launching an uppercut kick that sent him flying a couple feet away.

Robin felt his body turn to lead as he struggled to stand up against his nimble opponent, who raised his hands as if going insane.

"HYA HA HA HA! Yes…This feeling….This ecstasy….THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!"

The tactician struggled to stand up, using his sword as a crutch while barely keeping steady. He was sure of it now, Gangrel was different. He was too confident and had too much stamina to be the same monster he met around the time of Emmeryn's death. Robin started to grit his teeth as he gathered as much energy as he could for his next strike. He sucked in some air as he lunged forward with his blade. The Mad King didn't show any signs of noticing him as he continued to scream to the heavens joyfully. There was a small noise as the blade slowly sank into the man's chest with little resistance. Robin held his position for a few moments before he fell back in exhaustion. Gangrel's body fell once again as he landed on his back with the blade stuck in his body and a smile on his face. Robin looked up into the sky and sighed in relief as he slowly picked himself up and started to walk back to his companions.

"I feel really tired..." he started to drag his feet as he felt his body grow heavier from exhaustion. "Maybe I'll sleep for a bit before reporting to Chrom…"

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest as he slowly looked down. His sword was sticking out from his chest, covered in his blood and impaling him from behind. He turned to see Gangrel cackling quietly before releasing the silver blade.

"How…"

"You look tired Robin, why don't you go to sleep? FOREVER! GYA HA HA HA! Robin tried to grab his tome, but he started to cough up blood as his vision began to waver. He fell to his knees as he felt himself losing consciousness. He heard footsteps as the world around him started to dim, and a voice that taunted him even during his death.

"Don't worry, we'll send Chrom and his family over to meet you soon enough. Have fun in the afterlife!"

Robin struggled to stay awake, but slowly fell into darkness as Gangrel's cackles continued to echo in his mind…

* * *

CRACK!

Back at the castle, Chrom quickly turned and he saw his wife had dropped a plate from the cupboard nearby.

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry about this Chrom!"

As the Pegasus knight began to gather up the pieces, he turned around and went over to help out.

"It's fine Sumia, let me…" he offered as he bent over to start cleaning up. He only picked up a few pieces before he felt something heavy suddenly land on top of him. Turning his head, he saw that his youngest daughter, Cynthia, was sitting on his neck and bouncing up and down in place. Lucina was nearby, holding a wooden sword and sighing as she walked up to her father.

"I'm sorry father, I tried to keep her away, but…"

Chrom gave a small chuckle.

"It's fine Lucina," he rubbed her head as he spoke. "It must be troublesome to try and keep your sister under control."

"Yes, it really is…"

"Daddy! Up! Up!" The pigtailed girl screamed while pointing to the sky. Chrom smiled as he slowly stood up and laughed while his daughter cried in delight. However, he turned towards the window and looked outside, worried about his friend's condition.

"Robin, I hope you're doing ok…"

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**GAME OVER**

**DO YOU WANT TO LOAD SAVE FILE?**

**-YES NO**

_**Yeah the "Game Over" bit is actually a joke (unless you guys want it to be true). Anyways ,about the chant for the "Fire" tome, I used google translations for it, so it's more or less somewhat accurate. Reasoning behind using Latin? Just because it popped into my mind from memories of anime, games, and movies.**_

_**Anyways, it'll probably take longer for the next chapter to get up, but I'll make sure to get it in at July. Thanks for reading.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Please read the bottom for author's comment..._**

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"There's no sign of the scouting group anywhere…"

"And the Feroxi kingdom?"

"No news sire…"

Chrom sighed as he listened to the scout's report.

"Thanks. You can go ahead and leave…"

"Sir…"

She gave a salute before leaving the room. Chrom turned his head and started to stare out the window. It's been several days since Robin led the scouting unit to check on the rumors, and there's been no response. Ricken, a small sage and one of Chrom's best friends since childhood, quickly entered through the doorway and tried to catch his breath while speaking speaking.

"Chrom…is it…really true?" he asked in short breaths. "Robin…hasn't been… reporting….the last few…days?"

Chrom silently nodded. The small sage's breathing began to stabilize as he looked up worried.

"What could've kept them from sending us a sign? Even with all the bandits and lingering Risen around, there shouldn't be anything that problematic in the area…"

Chrom silently agreed. Ever since Grima's defeat, the number of Risen they've encountered across the land had decreased dramatically to the point that they were no better than a couple of soldiers attacking villagers. And even if there were numerous bandits in the area, he was confident that Robin's tactician skills were sharp enough to help the unit escape easily. His eyes sharpened as he suspected something more dangerous to be at work.

"Father?"

Lucina suddenly appeared next to him with a worried look on her face.

"Father, is something wrong?"

Chrom looked at her and got down on one knee before faking a smile. "No, we're all fine. Don't worry about it Lucina…"

They stared at each other for a few minutes before she finally left. Chrom sighed as he wiped his eyes and stared at the ground for awhile before turning to Ricken.

"If there's still no response by tomorrow, send out a search party for the scouting group."

"Got it!" Ricken acknowledged his king's order as he left the room to gather some troops. The Ylissean King stared back out the window.

"_Maybe I should go out and search for them myself…"_

"Milord!" One of the soldiers rushed into the room and started wheezing heavily while bending over.

"Milord….gates...ground…someone….."

Chrom started to wonder if today was a day for everyone to speak in an exhausted tone.

"Calm yourself. Take deep breaths and repeat that calmly…"

"Apologies…." The soldier took several deep breaths before speaking again. "Milord, there's someone unconscious in front of the gates. Shall we send for a doctor?"

"No need," He was initially suspicious of the news that someone just collapsed in front of the gate, but he was cooped up all day, so he used this as an excuse to get out of the palace and started heading over to the gates to see this mysterious person himself.

The gates creaked open as Chrom looked around for any signs of an ambush before walking up to the body. As he got closer, his face started to go pale as he started to recognize who it was. He started walking faster as he got closer until he suddenly started to break into a run. Reaching the body, he bent over and held it in his arms. He stared with disbelief and started to cry as he held the body tightly.

"Emm…."

* * *

"WAAAHHH!"

Lissa was crying over her elder sister, whose body was laid on the bed in her old room. The blond-haired princess had rushed in earlier when she overheard some of the guards talking in the halls. Chroms stood nearby, and was struggling to keep himself from doing the same as he watched his elder sister's peaceful face.

She was covered in sand, which meant that it was the same person who fell from an incredible height that tragic day. Her robe was slightly tattered and her hair was tussled and twisted, but the person that was sleeping on the bed definitely had the appearance of Lady Emmeryn. She wasn't moving, but her heart appeared to have been beating, which signaled that she was alive.

"Milord…" Frederick, who was standing near the doorway, motioned his king over to his side, away from his sisters. "Forgive me for expressing my doubts, but can this truly be Lady Emmeryn?"

"Frederick, what are you saying?"

"Milord, please believe me when I say that I wish that this is truly her majesty herself, but nobody could have simply survived such a fall like that! For all we know, this could be an imposter looking for an opportunity to assassinate you!"

"Frederick, I doubt clothing like that is simply available in the market. Also, the sand in over her body proves that she came from Plegian land, where she…" he stopped bitterly as he recalled the incident that day.

"Then perhaps it is an assassin from Plegia. In that case, the clothing may very well been from her majesty's body itself. After all, it wouldn't be difficult to loot a dead body…"

"Will you listen to yourself? You sound very much like Robin…"

"I may not be like our tactician, but I believe that I must be your voice of reason when he cannot. We cannot just accept this like nothing happened."

"Don't you understand Frederick?" The blue-haired exalt was silently yelling now. "She's returned to us alive! Naga's delivered us a miracle! Why can't you see what a blessing this is?!"

Frederick slapped Chrom in the face, stunning him before bending over on one knee.

"Forgive me my lord, but this is getting far out of hand! Do you think that you're the only one who grieved over her death? Have you forgotten how much she meant not only to you, but to everyone in the kingdom, as well as many people in the kingdoms beyond? Don't you think that I also desperately wish this were a miracle? That what I've proposed was nothing more than a bad idea?"

Silence fell in the area as neither of them moved an inch. The only sound that could be heard was Lissa sobs as she buried her eyes in her sister's(?) bed. Eventually, Chrom turned his head back and bent over on one knee to match Frederick.

"I'm truly sorry my lord, I…."

"No, you were right." Frederick looked up as Chrom's face went slightly bitter. "As much as I want this to be real, I can't let my feelings simply decide for me…" He thought back to what Robin said during their last meeting…

"_Even after Grima's defeat, there have been many attempts on your life. I don't want you to just rush in carelessly and make everyone sad…"_

"When she wakes up, I want you to question her. Ask her everything about what she remembers, and what she knows. Go ahead and test her if you want, just tell me if something seems out of the ordinary…"

"Actually, I have another test in mind…"

* * *

The blond-haired woman opened her eyes as she started to look around at her surroundings. Everything seemed familiar to her as she got to her feet and wobbled a little before keeping her balance.

"Emm…."

She turned her head to find a blue-haired man standing nearby with a relaxed look on his face. Looking at him seemed to bring her a peace of mind as she smiled at him.

"Chrom…" she said softly as the name suddenly came to her mind. He looked uncomfortable watching her smile, so she stopped and kept her face as straight as possible. The both of them just stared at each other until the man spoke up.

"Er… Emmeryn, do you know…where you are?"

She briefly looked around.

"Ylisse….a castle….

"Yeah, that's right…" Chrom gave a slight smile as he continued. "Then, do you remember what happened to you?"

She tried to recall any memorable events, but she could only feel a large fuzzy image, so she shook her head slowly. Chrom seemed to have been disappointed, but he still went on.

"How about Lissa? Frederick? The people?"

She paused before sadly shaking her head. The man sighed as he clenched his head with his right arm. Something about his face made her feel sad, but she didn't know why. Time seemed to have passed slowly as the two of them sat in silence. Eventually, Chrom spoke up.

"Um, Emm? Well…that is…. First….do you mind me calling you….Emm?"

She nodded while grinning. The way this man said it felt…right….somehow. She wasn't sure why, but it just seemed so familiar to hear him say it. He also seemed to like it since his face started to relax a bit.

"Er…well…..Emm, I…well….."

He kept stuttering which made it difficult to understand. After a few deep breaths, he tried to speak again.

"Look, Emm. This might sound kind of strange, but….you may not be….well… who you're supposed to be…."

She looked at him calmly as he tried to explain.

"See the thing is, you're supposed to be….dead…." his face became a bit solemn. "So….you're not actually supposed to be…_here_…if you know what I mean…"

It was obvious that it was difficult for him to say these things, but she sensed that he felt like it was something he needed to do, so she kept quiet while he collected his thoughts.

"Well, it's not like I don't think it's you….but Frederick…he….well…..there's just something you need to do to prove that you're my sister…"

He held up the elegant blade that was worn on his waist and pointed it in front of him.

"This is Fachion, it's a blade with….unique properties. Only those with a 'special' blood can actually use this, so…" He turned the blade around and offered her the handle. "I want you to try cutting something with this. If you really are my sister, then…you'd be able to cut through a target without much trouble. If you aren't, then it'd be no better than just throwing a rock…"

She wasn't exactly comfortable with using this weapon, especially something as valuable as a family treasure, but the look on his face seemed to beg her to try it out and prove to him that she was his sister, so she nodded in agreement before slowly following him to what appeared to be a courtyard. A young girl in a yellow dress and an armored knight with a stern face were there, each watching her with different looks. The girl (Lissa, was the name that popped into her mind) was like Chrom, trying to keep still, but struggling to just break out in tears in front of her. The knight (Frederick) on the other hand, was more suspicious of her and kept glaring at her. But behind those eyes, she felt a gentle kindness which told her that despite the tough front, he also wanted to show some emotion. She closed her eyes before focusing on the wooden pedestal with a log in front of her.

"Emm, if you don't mind, can you try cutting the log in front of you?" Chrom asked with a somewhat stern look on his face. She understood what she was supposed to do, and took a deep breath as she used both of her hands to grip the blade's handle. The sword was a bit heavier than it looked, but she managed to gather enough strength to use it at least once. Holding the blade up high into the air, she started to judge the distance and force needed to make a clean cut before letting it fall. She closed her eyes as she waited for an impact, but nothing happened, she thought she may have missed as she slowly opened her eyes again to see the result.

The log was undamaged, but the pedestal now had a clean slice on one corner. Looking further down, the sword was now wedged in the ground with a deep cut. The four of them looked at the pedestal and then the ground before looking at each other.

"Well, it looks like the answer's quite clear…" Frederick sighed as he crossed his arms. "The test didn't exactly go as planned, and we still don't know how. But at the very least, this is definitely Lady Emmeryn herself.

* * *

_**Author's comments:**_

_**First, I know that I said I'd get something in July, but it's already Sept. so there's only one thing I can do right now to everyone who was waiting for the next chapter. *Bows deeply* I'm really, really sorry about the long delay! Honestly I tried to make some progress in the story, but I was just stuck.**_

_**Seriously, it took me about a little more than one month to make ANY progress at all on this story, so I guess the only thing I can do is just promise not to make any more promises about when the next chapter is gonna come out. (But I've gotten some ideas down, so I seriously swear that there'll be at least a couple more chapters soon.)**_

_**Second, I'm debating about whether or not to include some pairings into the story. I don't think it really matters since I never planned on including the future children at all (except Cynthia and Lucina along with Lucina's older counterpart), but I guess I'll just leave it to you guys. If you want to see the future children, then let me know, and tell me if there's a particular pairing you want (Ex. CordeliaXHenry, StahlXOlivia, etc.) and I may include them (No promises though). Otherwise, I'll just keep going with the idea of everyone (besides Chrom and Sumia) being too busy for marraige.**_

_**Anyways, again I'm really sorry about the 2-3 month delay. Hope you guys haven't started raising Grima yet, and of course, feel free to comment on whatever you want storywise and/or writing-wise. PM me if you feel like it's something you don't want to just add as part of the review, otherwise I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.**_


	5. Chapter 5

"_So how was your visit to the world of the living?"_

_A shadowy figure was sitting on a log nearby with a book in hand. Gangrel was casually tossing knives at a nearby tree with an extremely bored look on his face._

"_This place has really gone to the dogs since I've been dead. Plegia's been under a stupid truce between the other kingdoms and the soldiers have gotten really weak. Back when I was still king, at least the people had power!"_

"_Perhaps, but I haven't brought you back to simply take a trip down memory lane…"_

"_Shut up maggot! I'm only helping you out because my goals just happen to coincide with yours!"_

_The cloaked figure simply shrugged while turning over to the red giant. "And what about you?"_

_Walhart simply stood silently with an expressionless face, mimicking a terrifying statue._

"_I guess I don't need to say anything else…" The figure chuckled. "Well then, looks like it's time for the next stage…"_

Robin suddenly woke up to find himself in an unfamiliar room. He sat up and looked around to try to get his bearings.

The room had the basic elements of any normal room, such as a table, a cabinet, a bed, and several pictures, but there was a small array of weapons scattered around the room, as well as the lingering smell of sweat that seemed to imply that this room wasn't exactly cleaned for quite a while. In short, it was a room intended for battle maniacs, which meant…

"Ho Robin! So you're finally awake?"

He turned to find a familiar figure wearing an eyepatch and gruff features that contrasted his smiling face.

"Basilo…" He felt a jolt on his chest as he unconsciously placed a hand on it.

"Woah there Robin, you should be getting some more rest there…" The ex-Khan went over to keep the tactician on the bed. Robin had to give up on resisting, so he just kept still while facing the lumbering giant next to him.

"How are the others?" he asked as he suddenly remembered his friends and how he left them behind to chase after Gangrel. Basilo just frowned slightly.

"We found everyone a short distance from where we found you. They're all alive, but it looks like they've taken quite a beating. Almost like they were hit by an armored horse, or something like that…"

"Walhart…"

"Yeah, these kinds of wounds look like they could be made by Walhart. Maybe a stampeding herd of cattle or…"

"No, it was Walhart himself…"

"Errrr….you mean it was a Risen that looked like him? Great, that's all we need, superpowered risen…"

"No, it was actually Walhart. As in the warlord that nearly killed us all a few years ago…"

Basilo gave a hearty laugh. "It's a good joke Robin, but I know you all reported him dead after your last battle." However, the tactician's face wasn't showing any signs of lighting up at all. "Guess you weren't joking then…"

"Believe me, I wish I was…" Robin closed his eyes as he thought back to their last battle with the Red Devil…

* * *

_After the final blow was delivered, the warlord fell on his back, bleeding to death. Say'ri was taking the time to search for the gemstone needed to complete the ritual, so Robin walked over to Walhart's body to study the man who wanted to rule the entire land. There were scratches, both minor and major, all over his armor, except for the back. People say that a great warrior would never have a scratch on his back because it shows both great respect and honor. Because of sneak attacks and betrayal among kingdoms, this was dismissed as a simple myth, but after seeing it first hand, he could tell that this was truly a great man._

"_Perhaps if things were different, we could have come to some sort of agreement…" Robin thought as he studied the man's stern face. He checked the warlord's neck for a pulse, even though he knew that it was impossible, and sadly watched for a few minutes before heading back._

"_Farewell, Walhart…"_

* * *

"I know that he was dead for sure when I checked for a pulse. He shouldn't have returned…"

Basilo gave a nervous laugh while putting his hand on his face. "Woah woah, are you serious? We have to fight that dastard again?" He pounded the table nearby in frustration. "Damnit, I nearly died the last time we fought each other, and now he's back?! How the hell are we supposed to fight against him now?!"

"Calm down Basilo. From what you've said, I guess they didn't want us all dead yet…"

"'They'? Who the hell came back from the dead besides Walhart?"

"It's 'The Mad King', Gangrel. He's the one who did this to me…" he brought his hand over his wound as he recalled the silver blade sticking out of his chest. "I don't know why, but something felt different about him, like he was possessed somehow…" Robin quickly widened his eyes as he suddenly removed the sheets and got up. "Chrom! I need to see Chrom!" But as he took a few steps, his strength suddenly drained, knocking him down to his knees.

Basilo came next to him and acted as his crutch while setting him in a chair.

"Hold it Robin. I know that it's serious that people are coming back from the dead, but that's no reason to just push yourself too far."

"No, Chrom needs to know….they're after Falchion…" He moaned as he recalled Gangrel's words.

"Then we'll send someone over to warn him of the danger. Right now, it's important that you get some rest and recover with the rest of your friends."

Robin reluctantly agreed as he collapsed into his seat, and watched as Basilo left the room. He turned to the table and slowly wiped his face with his hands as he wondered what was going on.

"_First Gangrel, now Walhart. People coming back from the dead, Falchion, what is it all supposed to mean_?"

As he thought to himself, he started to recall the dream he had.

"_Wait, Gangrel and Walhart were there, and there was one other. That other figure said that he was the one who brought them back…and before that, there was another dream…"_

He struggled to recall that one dream. It's been a few days since then, and he hadn't thought much about it until now, so the events were a bit foggy. He could remember something about a "new era", there was also something else about "destruction" that bothered him, but after thinking for a long time, he suddenly remembered that there were seven cloaked figures in his dream. If the figures in his dream included Gangrel, Walhart, and that one other, then it only meant one thing.

"…there's at least four more…"


End file.
